Birthday Girl

Saturday was a big day for Aree Song, in more ways than one. It was her 18th Birthday. At last, she was a 'legal' LPGA member, and a legal adult as well. Aree made sure everyone knew she was happy about it by wearing a shirt that proudly proclaimed her new status. She then went out and played more brilliant golf, seemingly incapable of making a significant mistake. Although her putter was not as friendly to her as on Friday, she chugged solidly along, giving herself birdie chances while not missing many fairways or greens. When all was said and done, she had amassed a 2 under par 70, and had shot a second straight bogey-free round. What's more, she sat atop the leaderboard at 11 under par and was ready to tackle history. Back in the scorer's tent, she blew out the candles on her birthday cake and said coyly, "Anybody know what I’m going to wish for?" Few thought she was alluding to tickets to a Britney Spears concert.

Though this was the first time she had had the lead by herself going into the final round of an event, it was, amazingly, not the first time she was in the lead going into Sunday. Back in 2000, when she was 13 years old, she was tied for first going into the final round of the Safeway Classic. But Mi Hyun Kim would go on to win that one. And once again, it was Kimmie who was putting up the best challenge to Song. Mi Hyun herself had a bogey free round, a three under par 69 that put her into solo second place at 10 under par. If only she had gotten a birdie on the final hole, she could have been tied for the lead, but it was still the best chance Peanut had had to collect a win in some time.

By the way, Aree turned 18 on Saturday!

Grace during round 2

Grace Park was also perfectly poised to spoil Aree's plans. Playing her usual brilliant golf, Grace had two bogies and four birdies when she reached the 18th hole, and was tied for second with Mi Hyun. All she needed to do was make birdie to go into Sunday with a share of the lead. And if Aree wasn't worried about that possibility, she should have been; Grace has never lost an event when she had a share of or the outright lead going into the final day. Never. Plus, with a dicey forecast for Sunday's weather, there was the possibility that Sunday's play would be washed out. Which would mean that whoever led the end of the day Saturday might get the win by default. The final hole could be huge for Grace.

Unfortunately, they had lengthened the hole by twenty yards this day, and though Grace hit a decent drive, she took too aggressive a line, and her drive fell in the water. She was not able to save par, and instead of being tied with Song, she was now two shots back. Still in good shape, but doubtless a disappointing result for the superstar Park. Still, after her round, when asked about the presence of so many top players on the leaderboard, she replied, "I don’t care who’s up there... When I look at the leaderboard, I see the names but I don’t care if it’s Joe Schmo or Annika Sorenstam. I’m not going to be intimidated.”

Se Ri Pak also made a move on Saturday, as she usually does, and for the first time in a while, put herself in contention to win an event. But like Grace, she had an unfortunate end to an otherwise strong day. She started the fun with a birdie on the par 3 4th, then followed that with a bogey on 5, birdies on holes 6 - 9, and a bogey on 10. Another birdie on the par 5 13th, and Se Ri sat at 9 under par, with a the par 5 18th still to come. She had eagled it on day one and bogied it on day two. What would happen on day 3?

Amazingly, she hit another drive into the water!! This time she recovered nicely, and dunked a ten foot par save to avoid the fate Grace had suffered. So Se Ri, too, sat at 9 under par, and Aree definitely had her work cut out for her to beat the three Seoul Sisters, who all sat so close behind her.

Sunday was a wild ride, with lead changes galore. Unfortunately, the player who got the worst of it was new 18 year old Aree Song. Perhaps her late night birthday celebrations had come back to haunt her, but Aree had one of the worst rounds of her career. It started out nicely with a birdie on 4, but 44 bogey free holes came to an end on 5. Another bogey on 9 left her one over for the day; not bad, but considering that players were going low all over the course, not good enough. It was the back nine where things really went south. She got a double bogey on the par 5 13th, which included a one shot penalty for picking up her ball to clean it when it was in the fringe. Another bad shot led to a bogey on 14. Her once straight irons and drives were now spraying everywhere. Suddenly she had all sorts of weird lies and stances to deal with. She got another double bogey on 17, and after a par on 18, finished with a dismal 78, which plunged her from first to 23rd. She was disappointed, but took it in stride. She'll be back.

Se Ri hangs out with Jarod from the Subway
commercials between rounds

Se Ri got hole 18 back by making her
second eagle of the week there to end the
tournament

Two young players who had never won before made great moves early. Jung Yeon Lee blistered the course with a 7 under par 65. She had nearly ended her chances with a one over 73 on Saturday, but this round moved her to 13 under par and the clubhouse lead. 13 under was now the score to shoot for. Meanwhile, Jennifer Rosales was also putting together a great round, and was 7 under herself for the day and at 14 under total. As she reached the 18 hole, she was in position to put the tournament out of reach for her opponents.

And how were those opponents doing? Se Ri was not having a very good day. Simply put, she was not making birdies, though she was also making few mistakes. In fact, she did not have a birdie on the day. But that does not mean she was not under par. In her first twelve holes, she had one bogey and eleven pars. But on the par 5 13th, a tough, tough hole to reach, she not only reached the green but drained an eagle to move to 10 under par. If she could have stepped it up right then, she still had a chance to catch Rosales and Lee, but she made several more pars and a bogey on 17, and that was that.

But not quite, for Se Ri was now facing her nemesis hole, the 18th. Eagle, Bogey, par in the first three days; what would she do this time? Well, she hit another great drive, and followed it up with a shot to the fringe. She then proceeded to dunk that for her second eagle of the day! A two eagle, two bogey 70. Se Ri, who led the league in eagles in 2003, looks primed to do so again in 2004! This was good enough for a 7th place finish, her third top ten of the year.